Phoenix Flights

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It is so conveniently located being right to the south of Phoenix downtown, and off Hwy 10 & I-17 intersection and next to Hwy 51. The preparedness you need is to figure out terminals, and which shuttle, or other transport you need to find to get to your destination. It is laid out pretty well, but you need to look and read. Also, the car rental is off premises, so a shuttle takes you 3 miles to the west to the lots.

Not really a tip about phoenix, just a sharing of experience. First is there is a shuttle bus for all car hire, takes about 10 minutes and expect the buses to be full and therefore lines at the car hire base to be long.

I experienced the longest check in ever at 'Dollar' car hire as they made a number of attempts to extract more funds
"Do you want to upgrade?" - No
"This is one of the smallest cars we have, you may want to reconsider," NO, btw smallest by US standards is not the same as smallest European
"Where are you travelling to, you may feel better in a larger vehicel" NO
"some of the vehicles this size do not have power steering," Not true as I asked at pick up point later, and my voucher stated PAS included
"How many bags do you have? There may not be enough room in the trunk of this vehicle"
"Insurance you have will not cover you for .. .blah, blah, blah"
"Do you need roadside assistance only $$$$$$," Already covered thank you
"GPS sir?" NO NO NO

On departure, this was one of the best airports that I have been to, not busy, loads of space to sit, a few shops and eateries. All the shops/restaurants worth sitting in were in the area BEFORE security, very little after security here.

On arrival be prepared for a Disney of Queues; our experience
- Immigration/passport 30 mins not bad at all
- Wait for bags 30 mins hmmm, that's 1hr in total, they get you one way or another
- Queue to wait to check your form to see if you are importing fresh food, plants or seeds illegally - 20 minutes not good at all. This was much worse than immigration. Note to security, if you are doing this, set it up properly with staff and lines, not the rugby scrum we encountered.
- Random check from above 10 minutes
- The worst was a queue to get out of the terminal via a revolving door - a clear design fault, a simple traditional door would be better - 15 mins
- Off site shuttle to car hire via bus 10 minutes
then the dreaded car hire pick up - phew

The Airport I would say was nice. Other than the $15 dollar charge for baggage check I didn't mind it at all. Before you even go through security there were all sorts of restaurants and shops. From Mc Donalds to Chili's, and little Mexican food places. I ate at one of the small venues and had a GIANT platter of exploding nachos! By the way not a great idea when getting on the plane next to a stranger. lol
I flew US Airways, there was a slight delay but nothing serious. I was not impressed by the inside of the plane AT ALL. NO screens for movies, and bad service from flight attendance. They acted like it was a burden if you said yes for wanting a drink.
And the WORST part was the pilot, on the runway going fast for take off the plane started shaking! I grabbed the strange man next to me and he said, "don't grab me! I'm more scared than you are!" That didn't reassure me in anyway. The worst part about it was the pilot never announced why we started shaking and the attendance didn't check on us. I didn't like that at all.
On our descent there was VERY heavy turbulence. And again no word as to why or ask if we needed anything. Maybe I'm just a plane snob but I thought it was terrible and dont want to fly U.S. Airways for those reasons.

The best way to get to Phoenix is to fly into Phx, SkyHarbor International Airport.
Once you get here, Do Not rely on 'city busses' to get you around. They are not very reliable. The best thing to do is to rent a car from the airport when you fly in. Or take a shuttle bus from the airport to your hotel/motel then use cabs or rental cars. Phoenix is not the safest place for bicyclers although you do see a few of them.

Beware: 19 April 2001 ... gas prices $1.50-$1.61

(WOW LOL ... here's a gas update ... as of dec. 2006 gas prices are about $3.00/gallon) (ever'one thank the dayum texan president.... Thank You [terrorist] Bush!!!

If booked 21days in advance can get these deals and other deals at http://www.southwest.com/hotfares/phx_nonstop.html

$29 each way, to/from
Albuquerque, NM
Burbank, CA
El Paso, TX
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA
Ontario, CA
Orange County, CA
San Diego, CA

america westalso do similar special offers

I think the best flight (although the necessarily the cheapest) from London Heathrow to Phoenix return is British Airways. This is the only direct flight currently operating from England.

Travelling directly to your final destination in the States will prevent you from missing your connection flight.

When I first flew out to Phoenix, I had to change planes in Cincinnetti. Where ever you enter the States you have to go through customs, collecting your bags and checking them back in again. This is how we missed our flight as our plane was late landing in Cincinnetti we only had 50 minutes to clear customs.

If you do not get a direct flight, its probably advisable to have atleast a 2 hr change over time.

Sky Harbour is a huge airport with many different terminals. The duty free is disappointing. It can be reached by highway 143, which connects to I-10 and the 202.

Commercial flights to the Valley of the Sun land at Sky Harbor Airport, 3 miles (5 kilometers) east of downtown Phoenix. Primary carriers providing service to and from the city are: Aeromexico, Air Jamaica, Alaska, America West, American, American Trans Air, British Airways, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Mesa, Midwest Express, Northwest/KLM, Southwest, Sunrise, United and US Airways.

With three separate terminals connected by a free 24-hour shuttle bus, the airport is busy but well-organized. Free telephones near the baggage claim area connect you with many hotels and motels. Taxis waiting outside the airport charge widely varying fares, so ask first. Phoenix Transit buses are the cheapest way into town. They depart about every 30 minutes Monday–Saturday.